The Pros and Cons of the Facebook Subscribe Feature

The new subscription button and related features of Facebook has changed many opinions about what is appropriate for a brand or business when we consider social media marketing and Facebook marketing options. In this article we look at some of the most relevant points.

Facebook marketing continues to become more complicated each day. The subscription button does not look like much of a change to their website design, but the ramification are far reaching. We must remember the sharing platform was not originally designed for brands and companies to market to users.

Pages were an addition designed by Facebook, and recommended by Facebook for brands and companies to market to users. Now we have a new feature, the subscription button, Facebook has become even more sophisticated. Essentially, the subscription button means we can ‘follow’ a user and see their public posts. We can do this without being their friend. When we are their friend, we can choose from a number of levels of importance for their posts.

This has raised a number of issues and some Facebook marketers are considering the value of having a profile because we now have the subscription button, which almost makes a profile behave like a page. Profiles will still have more interaction than a Page if we are looking for a more intimate relationship. Here is a look at some of the pros and cons of Pages and the Subscription button for your Facebook related social networking and online marketing.

Analytics with Pages.

Pages still provide us with in-depth analytics of what is happening with our page. Facebook insights are also changing rapidly and constantly allow more data, in different ways to be available. If you really want data with your Facebook activity, the only way to get it is by using a Page. It is important to note that Facebook does not allow third-party applications to gather information on the activities of users on Facebook, and other applications only allow limited information, or focus ron information related to a website and that interaction with Facebook. Getting data is still only really available from Facebook.

Subcription Button.

If you have a page and a profile, essentially you have two conversations going. By condensing your conversation, the features of the subscription button will allow those who are not your friends to still be following you – much like fans. The subscription button features allow the conversation to be in one place.

Visibility and Profiles and Pages.

Once someone has liked your page they will see all of your Page updates. This is not the case with your profile. Facebook has always monitored and managed how content is displayed to everyone, and now this is also being upgraded. Users can select how much information they will be seeing from every particular profile they are friends with. Not only are you competing for attention while Facebook manages how much content will be visible, users can directly influence how much information from you they will be seeing from your profile.

Customization.

Pages allow for more customization of how you appear on Facebook. These extra tabs you add also form the basis for third-party analytics tools. Profiles don’t allow for such customization at present. That is not to say this will not be the case in the future. As we have seen recently, anything is possible.

Searchability.

One of the side effects of subscription means information is going to be found easier on Facebook. Facebook has always prioritorised people over pages, and with subscription, that public information will appear higher on search results. This means we can actually be easier found with subscription and public information. Open up your whole personal information, and different elements, such as your interests and your personal likes, will greatly influence search results inside Facebook – if you want to be found, you can certainly make that the case with the new subscription feature. A new area of SEO (search engine optimization) perhaps?

Social media marketing has become a science in a short few years. In most cases, a page will still be the best option for a brand or business, because your information is always being shared. At the same time, if you are looking for a more intimate relationship with your ‘friends’ on Facebook, a profile page will make you more easily found, but you will need to compete to stay a part of the information displayed on your ‘friends’ news feeds.